Process of extracting metal from ore.



0. e. COLLINS.

PROCESS OF EXTBAGTING METAL FROM ORE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1908.

91 9, 129, Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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G. G. COLLINS. PROCESS OF EXTRAOTING METAL FROM ORE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1908.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STAT-PS PATENT ormon.

CALEB'G. COLLINS, OF WOODMERE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO O. AMORY STEVENS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF EXTRACTING METAL FROM ORE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Bert known that I, CALEB G. GOLLINs, a. citizen of the United States, residin at Woodmere, Nassau-county, and-State of ew Yonk, have invented certainnewand useful Improvements in Processesv of Extracting Metal from Ore, ofwhich the following is a; specification.

My invention relates to the treatment of ores. fee the extraction of metal, and affords an! economicali rocess by means of which practically all t e metal is segregated. andcollected. A

I am aware that; heretofore comminuted carbonaceous material has been used in a closed! furnace to reduce the oxids of metal to a. metallic state, but I have found from practicali investigation. and. experimentation that carbon alone is-sufiicient to effect the reduction of metals in various ores, so:that only im erfect results have heretofore been attaine -in. this respect.

My invention-consists essei tially inithe-use ot the alkalies and alkaline earths in conjunction with carbonaceous material in the reduction. of ores; and? incidentally also includes certain other features hereinafter described andrclaimedi Imthe accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a top view of a furnace adapted to the requirements of my im' roved process of reducingores; Fig. 2, is a orizontal' section thereofg taken upon lane ofline 22 Fig. 3'; Fig. 3', a-vertica section taken uponiplane of line 33 Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a vertical section taken upon plane of line 4=.4- Fig. 1.

It. is to-beunderstood that I do not restrict.

myself to'any special form or construction of furnace, that shown being simply for the purpose of'illustrauing a means of carrying out my improved process, and being the same as that shown and describedin m concurrent a plication forpatent, Serial K10. 404,189, fi November 27th; 1907.

R; represents an. elongated vertical retort chamber terminating'i'n a water basin B below from whichit is separated by a movable bottom I), which may; be rocked-from the exterior by means of 8 art, (see Fig 4). The

upplen portion of the retort R is provided wit a hopper H capable of being sealed.

7 Combustion chambers C, O, are located on-- eaoh-side of theret'ort chamber R, the products of-combustion passing therefrom into the vertical side fiues c, o, which-in tum openiinto the end or chimney flues c, c. It will'be seen that the side flues c, c, and the enddlues c, c,

constitute practically a single chamber surroundin the greater portion of the retort It, so that t e latter may be subjected to a relativel highuniform-t'em erature throughout. The basin B is supplie with water (preferably aslowly runnmg'stream) b a pipe N, or other suitable means; and its ottom is in clined downward toward an outlet b communicating with any suitable receptacle. The ore with theother admixed constituents forming the charge to be treated is fed into the retort R by gravity or otherwise; care beingtaken that the hopper H is well filled to-exclude air.

In practice I- grind the ore tobe-treated'to the degree of fineness desired, according to its hardness. With the comminuted ore I put ground charcoal, coalor other carbonaceous material; also comminuted carbon ates of the alkalies or alkaline earths. After the retort is filled with the charge it is sealed to exclude the air and prevent there-oxidation of the metal after-it is se regated from the other constituents of t e 'ore. The

water seal afforded by the basin B', protects the lower end of the retort, and by receiving and cooling the metal as it descends from the retort preserves it for collection by any well known or desired process at concentration-. The proportions of. comminuted carbona ceous material, and 0t pulverized lime (either uick or slaked) on other carbonates of t e alkalies or alkaline earths are varied with relation to the character and requirements ot the articular ore to be treated; and are mixe intimately with the ground ore before the charge isintroduced into the retort. After the retort is charged and sealed, fires are built inthe combustion chambers C, C, the heat only being continued until the ore inthe retort is brou ht to a bright: red state of incandescence. he bottom 1), is their rocked and tilted. to-allow of the descent of the segre ated'metal into the water in the'basin B; wone it is cooled and from which it is collected for concentration as before stated. The metal-isthus removed from the retort from time totime asmay be found most expedient. When the metal descends into-the basin B,- it causes the for-- mation' of steam which rises into the retort,

where it is united with the calcium oxid and which materially aids in the reduction of the ore and effects a saving of fuel. In other words the reduced metal and the gangue, both red hot, as they drop from the furnace into the water under the furnace, generate steam which, coming in contact with the red hot carbon 'mixed with the ore, is decomposed-into hydrogen and an exactl equal volume of carbon monoxid gas, 0th of which are when heated powerful reducing agents; or the same results may be attained by adding a suitable amount of moisture to the admixture before the charge is introduced into the retort.

I have demonstrated that alkalies and alkaline earths other than lime, such as barium hydrate and carbonate, and potassium and sodium hydrates and carbonates, may be effectually used in connection with carbon in the manner described when lime is the alkali used in the admixture to reduce the various ores as above set forth, hence although lime is ordinarily preferable on account of its relative cheapness, I do not restrict myself thereto, as other alkalies or alkaline earths may be substituted in whole or in part asmay be found most expedient in the treatment of the particular ores.

When the carbonates of barium, otassium or sodium are used with the car onate of calcium the reduction of the ore to the metallic state, especially if the ore be silicious, is effected at a lower temperature than when the only alkali used is carbonate of lime, but as before indicated there are some ores in which carbonate of calcium alone is the only alkali necessary.

Where owdered lime stone is used on the charge as liefore stated it is reduced to quicklime during the roasting process so that the steam evolved during the operation of dumping a portion of the charge into the waterin the basin B, slakes the lime and thereby contributes materially to the degree of the heat in the sealed retort. In this connection it is to be noted that I am the first to utilize the heat of the reduced ore to form steam which is decomposed within the retort to afford hydrogen, which, being in a nascent state, is themost effective in roducing the desired chemical reactions wit in the retort.

By the use, in combination with carbon and carbonates, of the alkalies and alkaline earths, I obtain powerful bases having a stronger aflinity for the other elements in the ore than for the metal itself, and hence am enabled to extract practically all the metal in an economical manner.

By the action of the heat carbon monoxid,

hydrogen, and contact of incandescent carbon, the oxide, hydrates and carbonates of the alkali metals are reduced to metallic sodium and potassium, which rising in vapor in metallic state penetrates every part of the mixture the retort and removes the sulfur,

tellurium, selenium and arsenic from the ore, while the carbon monoxid and hydrogen gases also present remove the oxygen from the metals in the ore as well as from any potash or sodium which may have been included in the mixture.

The caustic lime produced from the carbonates of lime in the mixture being a more powerful alkali than the potash or soda present takes the sulfur, selenium, tellurium and arsenic from the potassium or sodium compounds of these elements formerly combined with the metals in the ores, thus in the end producin calcium compounds of said elements and leaving potassium and sodium again free to act as carriers of the sulfur, arsenic &c., from the ores of the metals to the caustic lime, the lime itself beingso infusible that it requires an intermediary like potassium or sodium to act as a carrier of sulfur and other elements from the ore to the lime.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. The herein described process of separating metal from ore which consists in mixing the ore in a comminuted state with commi-' nuted carbonaceous material, and with comminuted carbonates of the alkalies or the alkaline earths, and subjecting the mixture to heat in a closed retort.

2. The herein described process of separating metal from ore which consists in mixing /the ore in a comminuted state with comminuted carbonaceous material, and with comminuted carbonates of the alkalies or the alkaline earths, subjecting the mixture to heat in a closed retort, and discharging the resultant metal into water, for the purpose described.

' 3. The herein described process of separating metal from ore which consists in mixing the ore in a comminuted state with comminuted carbonaceous material, and with comminuted lime, and subjecting the mixture to heat in a closed retort.

4. The herein described process of separating metal from ore which consists in mixing the ore in a comminuted state with comminuted carbonaceous material, and with comminuted lime, subjecting the mixture to heat in a closed retort, and discharging the resultant metal into water, for the purpose described.

5. The herein described process of separating metal from ore consisting in m xing the ore in a comminuted state w1th comminuted carbonaceous material and comminuted lime stone, subjecting the mixture. to heat in a closed retort in the presence of moisture to slake'the quicklime resulting from the heating of the lime stone, for the purpose described.

6. The herein describedprocess of separating metal from ore consisting in mixing the ore in a comminuted state with comminuted carbonaceous material and comminuted lime stone, subjecting the mixture to heat in a closed retort, and admitting steam to the retort to slake the quicklime resulting from the heatin of the lime stone, for the purpose describe 7. The herein described process of separate ing metal from ore consisting in mixing the i ore in a comminuted state with comminuted carbonaceous material and with commmuted earths, subjecting the mixture to'heat in a vretort.

carbonates of the alkalies or the alkaline Witnes'sesim closed vessel, discharging the resultantmetal. I 1

into water, and utilizing thesteam thereby";

generated to form hydrogen within the retort for the purpose described.

8. The herein described process of separating metal from ore consisting in mixing the ore in a comminuted state'with comininuted carbonaceous material and with a base having an affinity stronger than that of the metal for the other'elementsr in the ore, and then subjecting the mixture to heat In a closed cALEB G; COLLINS. 

